Burning Questions: Can I Buy at a Restaurant Supply Store If I'm Not a Chef? Part One
The quick answer is yes, but you have to be smart about it.
Contrary to popular belief, most restaurant supply stores are open to the public, unlike beauty supply stores and other retailers that specialize in selling wholesale.
This week from Monday through Thursday, we’ll be running a series on how home cooks — and professionals who haven’t yet ventured through the doors — can buy from a restaurant supply store.
Then, on Friday to reward you for all your newfound knowledge, we’ll be introducing a very special Chef Profile of a big-name celebrity chef, and then featuring his brand-new product as a Tool of the Week giveaway.
So stay tuned.
In the meantime, here’s some great advice on how to buy from restaurant supply stores:
- Rachel Tayse of Columbus, Ohio, is an experienced home cook fortunate enough to live very close to a regional restaurant supply store, Wasserstrom. “I shop there for quality products, great services, and a no-pressure sales environment,” she says. “We’ve purchased knives, pots, miscellaneous tools like ladles, and baking supplies at the store. When we renovated our home kitchen last year, we even purchased some restaurant prep tables there.”
- John Wilder of New Castle, Indiana, is a former executive chef and caterer who believes there is no downside to shopping at a restaurant supply store. “First of all, you’re trading with a local mom and pop store that helps the local economy,” he says, which is true in many cases. “You’re getting very discounted prices on commercial dishes, pots and pans and cutlery. You also don’t have to worry about breaking dishes bought from a restaurant supply store, because they have a lot more where that came from. You can buy stylish dishes that are a fraction of what they cost in a set in a store, the same with flatware.”
More tomorrow.
Shopping in a restaurant supply store is the best way to go. I’m not a professional chef, but I like to think that I can cook pretty well. :) I actually just bought a commercial blender for my condo at the beach, as well as other miscellaneous items over the years like knives, champagne glasses, a microwave, and some baking stuff. It’s nice because I can have everything delivered to my condo when I’m not even there. It’s very convenient. I shop at Mission Restaurant Supply and just order everything online. Make sure to subscribe to mailing lists for places like this because they often include coupons and promos just like department stores do. Hope this helps!
Here’s the link if you’re interested:
http://www.missionrs.com/